Ribbon of Fate
by wisegirl502
Summary: Bryn Holloway, a.k.a. Mobius One is on a mission to stop Erusea from taking over the continent. Although everyone on base sees her as an open book, she's keeping a big secret from them all, one that could threaten her job if anyone found out. Only her best friend, Miranda 'Angel' Jacobson is aware of it. With the war comes love, victory, and death, and Bryn must cope with it all.
1. The Beginning

**I thought I could refrain from posting this until after I finished another story, but yeah, that didn't happen, so enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:**

**"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning."**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Brian**

"Brian, you're not seriously considering walking home in this weather," Felicity Vickers demanded, crossing her arms and staring me down with her pale green eyes. She was the barkeeper's daughter, the girl I'd been in love with since before I could remember. However, she didn't know that. Felicity was still stubborn too, if not even more so than when she was a kid.

"My house is a ten-minute walk away. And it's just snow. Besides, I have Mobius with me," I said, glancing down at my German Shepherd who stared up at me, his tongue lolling out the side.

"It's pitch black and icy, and if you get yourself injured, or worse killed, I'll kill you." She ran a hand through her blonde hair while I contemplated pointing out the contradiction in her sentence. I decided against it, though. "Can you not just wait another ten minutes for me to get off work?"

I sighed. "I've been here since seven-thirty this morning. It's now nine at night. What are ten more minutes?"

"It's no one's fault but your own that you've been here longer than your shift."

"What? Everyone loves Mobius, and I enjoyed all the conversations."

"You also enjoyed all the free drinks."

"I will neither confirm nor deny that."

"It's fine. You got us a ton of tips. Just wait here, and try not to start any more conversations." Felicity smirked at me before disappearing amongst the crowd. I sat in a corner to avoid drawing attention to myself, and luckily, it worked. My coworker came over, all wrapped in her coat and scarf, and asked, "You ready?"

"Ready," I confirmed, getting up. We walked out of the bar and got into her truck. I was glad Felicity didn't mind Mobius getting in the backseat considering he definitely needed a nail trim and was going through a major shedding phase. But like everyone else, she adored him.

"So when is your truck going to be fixed?" Felicity inquired.

"The mechanic said by Monday, but two days ago he said it'd be ready today. So who knows," I complained. "Thanks for the lift."

"Yeah, of course. What are you doing tonight?"

"Dad's on a business trip, so I'm probably going to invite all my closest friends and throw a massive party."

"Seriously?" Felicity raised her eyebrows at me.

I snorted. "No. I'm going to throw on some sweatpants, work out, eat like crap, and binge-watch Netflix."

"I don't know about working out, but if you want someone to join in on the eating like crap and binge-watching Netflix, I'm down."

"Yeah, you're always welcome to join in," I told her, secretly pleased that she'd asked to come over rather than me asking her. I always worried I was bugging her by constantly inviting her over even though we were best friends. I knew she didn't like clingy, and I wanted to avoid being like that if I ever had a chance with her.

"Cool. I need to run home and change into clothes that don't stink of the pub. In fact, I'm probably going to shower. I can smell beer in my hair," Felicity remarked, taking a whiff of her ponytail and immediately scrunching up her face in disgust. "I'll be over in like... an hour, hour and a half?"

"I'll see you then," I said as she pulled up to my house. Thanking her for the ride once more, I hopped out of her truck and bounded up the front steps with Mobius at my heels. Once inside, I called my dad to see how he was doing. Other than sounding kind of tired from a long workday, he seemed okay.

While I waited for Felicity to return to my house, I ran a few miles on the treadmill. Mobius laid on his bed, falling asleep within minutes. Afterward, I showered so I would stink of sweat later on, and then changed into sweatpants.

Right as my feet hit the floor, the doorbell rang. Mobius barked until I opened it, revealing my best friend. My dog bounded up to Felicity, greeting her as if he hadn't seen her in years. She got down on the floor with him and scratched his belly.

"I took the liberty of picking up McDonald's on the way here. I figured you meant something fast food when you said you were going to eat like crap," Felicity mused.

"You know me so well," I laughed taking the bag out of her hand. The two of us walked into my living room, collapsing onto the couch and turning on the TV. I put it on the military channel because it was talking about the Usean Continental War. I was obsessed with it, especially since I had such close ties with it.

"Do you ever tire of watching this stuff?" Felicity asked, her voice muffled from all the fries she'd shoved in her mouth.

"No. I'm not going to tire until I know everything about it. If they would talk about Mobius One more often, that'd be great."

"They don't know much about Mobius One though. Speaking of, did they ever respond to your letter?"

"No," I said, slightly annoyed. "It doesn't surprise me. It's been over a year. For all I know, I've been put on a list saying I'm a potential terrorist for trying to get in touch with them."

"If you had been, you wouldn't have been able to travel on planes with your dad. Well, actually, considering your dad's status, you probably still could."

"Do you think Mobius One ever got the letter?" I queried, munching thoughtfully on a chicken nugget. "I mean, if they received it, could the government at least tell me that they did so I'm not wondering about it until I die?"

"Would you honestly wonder about it until you died?" Felicity countered, raising her eyebrows dubiously at me.

"Without a doubt."

"You have problems."

"Yet you still hang out with me."

"We've grown up with each other, and you're my best friend. Besides, I can't ever leave you. You know too much about me."

"Hey, it goes both ways," I pointed out. It was true, though. I'd grown up with Felicity. We'd always been friendly before the war, but we became incredibly close during the war and stayed close after it. We'd been through a lot together, and despite our constant sarcasm to each other, we would defend each other no matter what.

Felicity was the girl of my dreams. Always had been. I'd accepted long ago that we would only ever be friends, but I had a feeling there would forever be some part of me that loved her in that way, as something more than a friend.

I was broken out of my thoughts by a fry hitting me in the head and Felicity going, "Earth to Brian!"

"What?" I replied.

"I've been asking you the same question about five times, and every time you ignore me."

"Oh, sorry. I zoned out. What was the question?"

"I was asking if you'd heard back from the University of North Point yet. It's the only one you're waiting to hear back from, right?"

"Yeah, and of course it's the only one I genuinely want to get into. They have the best investigative journalism classes in the country."

"Maybe something will come soon. All right, I don't know about you, but I'm fading and fading fast. You're welcome to stay up, but I'm going to sleep. Night Brian."

"Night Felicity."

* * *

I woke up at seven in the morning to Mobius licking my face. As much as I wanted to stay asleep, I knew my dog needed to go out desperately. With a small groan, I walked to the backyard via the sunroom. I stood on the patio while Mobius rolled around in the snow for a few minutes before bounding off into some shrubs to do his business. When he finished, he emerged with one of his balls in his mouth. He dropped it at my feet before staring at me expectantly.

"How can you have this much energy in the morning?" I chuckled, picking it up and chucking it as hard as I could. Mobius bolted off after it. When he returned it, I tossed it again, but this time not as far so he could jump in the air and catch it. He loved doing that.

I'd tossed it for the tenth time, but instead of going after it, he turned his head to stare at something unseen around the corner of the house. I couldn't see what he was looking at, but I could hear it, and there were distinct footsteps. Mobius ran to approach them, causing me to lose sight of him. Of course, I went after him to make sure he wasn't going into attack mode. Not that he would attack unprovoked, but you never know.

Half of me was expecting it to be Felicity since she was here; the other half of me was hoping it would be my dad returning early from his business trip. But no part of me thought there would be an unfamiliar woman strolling up the path, especially in this cold and crappy weather.

She was kneeling on the ground, Mobius sitting in front of her and thoroughly enjoying the attention he was receiving.

"Hi there," the woman greeted, her blue eyes meeting mine. "I heard noises in the back and came to see who it was since no one answered when I rang the doorbell. Does a Brian Galbraith live here?"

"Yes, ma'am. Who's asking?" I queried. My dad had taught me early on always to be careful of who came to the house, considering who he used to be. While the girl seemed nice enough, one never knew. However, Mobius seemed to trust her, and he was pretty good at judging people. I had a saying that if my dog didn't like you, then I didn't like you either. Still, I wanted to double-check.

She stood up. "My name is Bryn Holloway. A year ago, you sent a letter to Mobius One. I'm here on behalf of that."

"Mobius One sent you?!" I exclaimed, not quite believing what I was hearing.

Bryn smiled. "I am Mobius One."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! This is the start of a great story, and I'm excited to be writing this! The things I have planned for these characters :D**


	2. Sitting Duck

**Chapter Quote:**  
**"Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there."**  
**~Unknown**

* * *

Chapter 2: Sitting Duck

**Bryn**

"Is he always this hyper?" I whispered to Felicity as the two of us watched Brian flit around the kitchen, gathering ingredients from the pantry and fridge, then putting them back when he realized they were useless in what he was trying to make.

"Last time I saw him this excited, he'd just gotten Mobius. The dog that is." We glanced down at the German Shepherd who sat on the other side of me, watching every movement his owner made.

"Can I get you anything to drink? Tea? Water? Coffee? Mimosa?"

"Tea would be lovely," I said.

"What kind? We have Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Green Tea, Black Tea, Breakfast Tea, Chamomile, Chai-"

"Green tea would be great." Brian darted to the pantry once more, shuffling through an endless amount of tea boxes. Being a tea fanatic myself, it amused me to know one of my biggest fans was one too. Did he know that about me because he read it somewhere? Was it a coincidence?

"Tea will be ready in a second. So how are you? Where do you live now? What are you doing now that the war's over? Are you seeing anyone?" Brian fired at me before suddenly stammering out, "Not because I'm interested. Which I'm not saying you're not attractive because you are, it's just you're too old for me... And I don't mean that as in you look old! I just suspect you're close to my dad's age, and that's weird!"

"Brian. Deep breaths," Felicity said with a smirk.

"Your dad must be young."

"He's thirty-seven. Would never know it though. I'm telling you, that man found the fountain of youth," Brian replied, cracking some eggs and scrambling them. He'd calmed down just enough to excel at cooking the different items for breakfast. He even remembered my tea, placing the steaming, hot drink in front of me.

"How old are you?" I asked, taking a sip.

"I'm twenty."

I nearly choked. "Excuse me?"

"Brian was adopted by a young guy. Seventeen years his senior," Felicity explained.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I forget to tell people that I lost my parents in the war. I thought I told you in the letter. I guess I never specified I was orphaned," he said.

"No, you didn't. So what's your adoptive dad like?"

Brian smiled, reminiscing on some unknown memory. "He's awesome. We didn't get off on the right foot in the beginning despite having known each other a while. But in time, I grew to love him as much as my birth parents. He's been there for me through pretty much everything. He was always patient with me, too. Listen, this might be rude and straight-forward, but could you tell me about your missions? What was like to fight in the war? I've only ever heard it from the opposing side. I never heard it from an ISAF member."

"I expected this question, and truth be told, if I didn't want to talk about it, I wouldn't have come out here," I confessed. I pulled out Brian's letter. Having it gave me the courage to delve back into my memories, to dredge up a war that killed my two closest friends. In front of me stood a boy eager to listen to his hero talk about the war. I refused to let him down. I skimmed the first bit:

_I was just a child when the stars fell from the skies. But I remember how they built a cannon to destroy them. And in turn how that cannon brought war upon us. War was an abstract idea, nothing more than a show on TV. As a child, I only saw it as something the happened in some far-away land. Until that final day of summer..._

_One day, while on my way to school, I looked up in the skies. A sound like distant thunder. In the blue skies far above me, contrails drew dizzying circles around in a crazy waltz — a battle in the beautiful skies far away. I could not tear my gaze away from them._

_A deafening roar._

_And then sharp silhouettes appeared, as if to graze the hills, and streaked past me. The fighters played the cat or mouse in turn as they climbed swiftly into the sky. One fleeing plane fell out of the sky, spiraling and spewing orange flames to crash by the cape._

_The same cape where my family lived._

_Now they only live in my memories of days past. The victor circled around to confirm the kill, and on his craft, there was a large number thirteen, emblazoned in yellow._

_I will never forget this._

_The Allies retreated across the ocean before the onslaught of the enemy. Our little town in the heart of the mainland fell into deep isolation._

"Okay," I began. "Let's start with my very first mission."

* * *

**19 September 2004...**

"Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up," I muttered, listening to the never-ending ringing on the other end of my phone. "_Please_ pick up."

"Ember!" A familiar voice piped up. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Lucky!" I exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Always," my best friend responded. Lucky and I had a complicated relationship. First off, his name wasn't Lucky. It was Kit. I'd given him the nickname as more of a joke when I found out 'thirteen' was his favorite number. I guess it stuck when he went into the military. We'd grown up together for twelve years before his family moved them to another part of the country. We were never able to visit each other, but we wrote letters to each other, called each other, and sent presents to each other. Even when we attended college, neither of us had managed to take a drive out to see the other. I missed him terribly, and knowing he fought with the enemy made our friendship all the more difficult. But it wasn't because I believed one thing, and he believed another. We were simply doing our jobs. What made it difficult was the fact that one day, we could share the same sky, which meant we might be ordered to shoot the other down. I couldn't do that to my best friend knowing it was him. I just couldn't, and he felt the same way.

Therefore, we made a pact to never, ever discuss anything about the war; that included knowing our callsigns, what our squadron was, what our plane number was, or _anything _relating to our professional lives. While I still feared knowing I could face Lucky at any moment, it helped not knowing his plane. I convinced myself I'd be able to recognize him in the air, too. Whether that was true or not, I don't know, but I told myself I could...

The only thing we did talk about in regards to our work life was alerting the other when we were going on a mission. That way, we didn't worry unnecessarily if the other didn't respond for a while. He'd texted me a day ago, informing me he was going on a mission. I was calling him now to make sure he was alive, and to alert him I was about to go on a mission myself.

"What are you up to?" he questioned.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay and to let you know I'm about to go on a mission."

"I'm fine. Be careful up there, Ember."

"I will. I'll call you when I get back."

"I'm already counting down. Love you."

"Love you, too," I answered, smiling to myself. Hanging up, I looked up to find myself face-to-face with the leader of the Halo Squadron, also my best friend on base: Miranda 'Angel' Jacobson. At five-foot-nine with long, luscious, chocolate locks, matching eyes, and the build of a supermodel, Angel was a female heartthrob. The guys were all madly in love with her, but most were too scared to approach. She wore this expression on her face, one which silently warned anyone who got close to her that she'd rip their head off (and Angel would be smiling while she did it). I had that effect too, but it was more like I had an invisible scepter ready to whack anyone who tried to approach me. I didn't mean to have this demeanor, it just sort of... happened.

"Did I just hear what I think I did?" Angel grinned. "Does someone have a secret boyfriend?"

"No secret boyfriend, just a best friend," I answered, shoving my phone into my pocket.

"Does he know he's in the friend-zone?"

"Considering he's on the other side of this war, trust me, he knows."

"Ooh." Her eyes widened. "It's that friend?"

"Yeah, it's him," I grumbled. Angel was the only person who knew about Kit, who he was, and what he did. I feared retaliation at work if anyone discovered my relationship with him. Being friends with an enemy pilot forced me into dangerous territory, but I loved Kit and believed him to be worth the risk.

More gently, she inquired, "How's he doing?"

"He's well. He survived his mission, so I'm grateful for that."

"Speaking of which, we should hurry to ours or else we'll be late!" Angel encouraged. With that said, we ran to the briefing room, reaching it just in time before they dimmed the lights. Our announcer, Johnnie Walker- or 'Whiskey' as we affectionately called him- stood up front, eyeing us carefully. His gaze rested on Angel and me sitting up front; unless I was mistaken, I saw the smallest smile form on his lips. Whiskey wasn't one to have favorites, but I believe he'd taken a liking to the two of us. Maybe it was because we were some of the few girls on base, or maybe because we forced him to acknowledge us just by making him say hi. Regardless, I was glad to have a guy like him on my side.

Just as Whiskey started to talk, the phone rang. Blantantly irked by the timing, he strode over to the phone and answered; an information film played in the meantime. A stern and stoic voice began speaking. "Four years after the planet-fall of the Ulysses 19944XF04 asteroids-"

"Try saying that the three times fast," Angel whispered, causing me to snicker.

"-Stonehenge, the Erusian weapon of mass destruction, was originally built to shoot down asteroids. Upon discovering its potential as an anti-aircraft weapon, the Erusians ruled the skies over the mainland. The ISAF's (Independent States Allied Forces) attempts to destroy the Stonehenge through airstrikes failed. As a result, strategic positions on the mainland were lost. This, in turn, forced ISAF to evacuate from the East Coast to North Point. ISAF GHQ (General Headquarters) is regrouping its remaining combat forces at North Point. However, the Erusians control most parts of the mainland, and they have forward-deployed bombers to Rigley Air Base, a former ISAF facility. This bomber force will attempt to deal a lethal blow to the ISAF at North Point from this strategic position.

"All right, sorry about the delay. Let's begin the briefing," Whiskey said. He loaded the map of the battle zone. "Here is the current sitrep and your orders for deployment, effective immediately. Enemy agents destroyed our early warning radar network, allowing several Bear bombers to penetrate our airspace. In fifteen minutes, we expect this bomber formation to strike Allenfort Air Base, and then move on to targets at North Point. Our air defense forces are extremely weak at this point in time. Hence our GHQ is a sitting duck. It is mission critical that you destroy the bombers and neutralize the threat before they get past Newfield Island. Remember, you are the first line of defense for North Point, and the fate of ISAF lies in your hands."

Operation: Umbrella

Location: Newfield Island

Date: 19 September 2004

Time: 1405 hours

The lights came back on, and Angel and I headed to the hangar for our planes. I hadn't taken off of a ship many times, meaning this experience would be an interesting one. I hopped into my beloved F-22A Raptor. A gray the color of the clouds, and the pale blue infinity symbol on the tail, my plane had no trouble blending in on those dark days when the sun refused to shine.

Such as today.

Angel took off first; I was soon to follow, shooting off the deck above the deep, sapphire waters. Once the other fighters were in the air, our AWACS came on and said, "AWACS here. Callsign SkyEye. Do you read?"

"I read you loud and clear," I replied. The others followed suit.

"Good. Your callsign is Mobius One. We'll refer to you by this name at all times. You are now under my command. Six bombers on vector three-sixty confirmed. Continue north to intercept."

"Thank you for reminding me of my callsign. I nearly forgot it," I said. Angel laughed as our AWACS warned me to watch my sass. I told him I would without any actual plan to follow through on my promise. Hitting the thrust, I shot forward, quickly outdistancing my allies. I could see the specks of the bombers far off in the distance. I wanted to get to them first.

"Let's go win this thing!" An allied pilot shouted. It was Halo Three. He was new; I didn't even know his name.

"Today's my birthday!" SkyEye announced. "A victory sure would be nice."

"If we win, does that mean we don't have to get you a present?" Halo Two inquired. His name was Murray Bakersfield; he'd been on the squadron almost as long as Angel. "Because I'm terrible at last-minute gifts."

"We could sing happy birthday to him," Angel offered.

"Not all of us have angelic voices like you."

"But the off-key makes it all that more entertaining," I pointed out.

Murray paused for a moment, then said, "That's very true. On the count of three everybody: one... two... three! Happy birthday to you!"

We all joined in. I'm pretty sure some people on the ground came onto the radio just to join in. I enjoyed the image of SkyEye blushing in my mind because I knew for a fact he was thoroughly embarrassed. But that's what he gets for telling us it's his birthday.

"I got a lock on a target," I informed, gliding up behind one of the bombers. On my radar, I saw my best friend catching up to me with her team.

"This is Halo One," Angel chimed in. "We're approaching the targets as well."

"Don't underestimate them," an enemy's voice growled.

"Whoa, we're picking up their transmissions." Murray noticed. I ignored his remark, trying to lock onto the enemy bomber. It took a few moments before it finally happened. I sent two missiles for good measure. Direct hit!

"A bomber's been hit!" an enemy shouted frantically.

"There's our welcoming party!" another one responded, sounding much more relaxed about the situation.

"Let your escorts handle them," another added. Part of me wanted to respond to their chatter. The other, more rational side of me told me to stay quiet and to take care of the mission. I chose to listen to the latter. I flew dangerously close behind the next bomber, sending two missiles at it, and then shooting forward to go to the next, knowing my former target would be unable to escape.

"Gray Two's been hit!" An Erusian exclaimed. "Hurry! Eject!"

"Damn, girl. Look at you," Angel praised. "You're kicking their butts."

"If you and the rest of Halo squadron want to take care of the fighters, that'd be wonderful."

"Oh, yeah, you take the easy job," she joked. Right when she said that, I took out the third bomber. This mission was turning out to be way too easy.

"Mobius One shot down a Bear!" SkyEye announced happily.

"I couldn't bear the thought of losing this battle on your birthday, so I'm doing everything I can to win it," I told him, smirking at my pun and wondering if anyone else caught. Unsurprisingly, my best friend did.

"Is the idea unbearable to you?"

SkyEye groaned. "Stop it, you two."

"I don't think our puns are beary much appreciated," I noted, looping my plane around to go after the remaining three bombers. I could see Angel and her team taking the fighters one-on-one. Once I had one Bear left, and if Halo Team still had fighters to take down, I'd help them out. The fewer forces the Erusians had, the better.

"This is Gray One! Damn it, we still have a payload to deliver," a bomber growled.

"He's mine!" One roared. "I'm on his tail!"

I went head-on with the remaining bombers. I swear I could see the pilots in one of the seats. Angel zoomed overhead of me, then dipped down, going after a fighter coming from below.

"Where are the escort fighters?" an enemy demanded. I wanted to tell him any more that came our way, that we'd shoot them down. But I didn't have the guts to say it, nor did I want the fighters targeting me because of my loud mouth. I'd heard stories of ace pilots going after the Demon Lord before he even got the moniker because he liked to shoot his mouth off to the enemy. I didn't know who the Demon Lord was, but for some reason, he reminded me of my cousin, Jason Banks. I'd only met the guy a few times when I was little, but his charm and snarkiness remained etched in my mind.

There were only two bombers left now, but Halo team seemed to be struggling with the remaining fighters, so I switched gears for a moment and locked onto the nearest one. I fired my guns at it. The enemy, having been focusing on Angel trailing behind them, hadn't noticed me coming from the side. It made for an easy kill. I turned my sights back onto one of the bombers and swiftly shot it down.

Three fighters and one bomber left.

"Target is bombing the city," SkyEye informed gravely. I gritted my teeth in determination. No Eruseans would be leaving with their planes today, and to ensure this happened, I circled back around, going for another fighter.

"Mayday, mayday, this is Gray Three. We're hit, can't maintain altitude. Eject! Eject!" a bomber yelled out desperately. I felt terrible that the only thing I thought of at that moment was Tom Cruise saying the same sentence in 'Top Gun.' Thoughts like those kept me from overthinking about the possibility I had killed someone. You couldn't let those thoughts get to you. Otherwise, you were screwed.

"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is Red Nine! I have no control! Ejecting!" The enemy plane I'd just taken down shot out of his aircraft. I nearly crashed into his parachute. If I hadn't slung my jet to the left, I would've. I let Angel and the others handle the remaining fighters as I realized the last enemy bomber was nearly on top of another city. I couldn't let them get to the next town. We'd already slipped letting them get to the first. Thankfully, I knew the city had long been evacuated, unknown to the enemy. We had a strong military presence there to make it look like it was still operational.

"Strange seeing fighters out this far," Murray noted, seemingly talking to himself.

"This ain't the mainland. Watch out for sharks if you go down feet wet," an enemy warned. I made a face at the imagery popping into my head at the statement. This area was well-known for not only it's cold, massive waves to surf, but also its unusually high shark numbers. A place down in Osea, somewhere near my cousin (Jason again), had a massive problem too. They competed for the most shark bites a year. A bit gruesome if you ask me. Then again, the only reason I know that is because I'm a sucker for Shark Week...

"Fighter shot down!" Angel announced. "Halo Two and Halo Three, take care of that last one. I'm going to back up Mobius One."

"Mobius One, Allenfort Air Base is on the nose," SkyEye warned.

"I'm almost there. I have it in my sights." I switched to my special weapons: Quick Maneuver Air-to-Air Missile, or my commonly referred to as QAAM. It allowed me to get a lock on the bomber much farther out than a regular one. Despite being more powerful than regular missiles, I still fired two to increase my chances of hitting it. Another long-range air-to-air missile shot past me in the direction of the bomber. Glancing behind me, I saw Angel racing after me. She must've used her Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missile (or SAAM) to be shooting from that far away.

I turned my attention back to the bomber as both my missiles hit, sending it plummeting down to the ground. Just in the nick of time, too. A few seconds later, and it would've been dropping its payload onto Allenfort.

**Mission Accomplished**

"Good job, Mobius One!" SkyEye complimented.

"There's your birthday gift from us fighter pilots," I said brightly, proud that we'd completed the mission successfully.

"SkyEye, this is Allenfort. Got visual on the downed bombers. Whose kill was that? Make sure to thank him."

"Her. I'm a _her_. And any time," I said.

"Apologies, ma'am. Thanks for the save."

"That's a round-up! Let's go home!" Murray cheered. None of us argued and soon were back on track to land at Base. On the way over, Whiskey came onto the radio and began to debrief us.

"Thanks to your efforts, the enemy bomber strike was averted," Whiskey confirmed. "However, our victory will be meaningless should you fail the next mission."

"Wow..." Angel mused. "Thanks for the pep talk, Whiskey. I know I can always count on you for optimism."

"Makes you wonder how we ever got through life without him," I said.

"You're lucky I like you two," he said.

"Can I have my title changed from Captain to 'Liked by Whiskey'? Because I feel it's a much bigger honor," I remarked.

"You need to put 'Ace' on that badge of yours considering you are one now. You just shot down six Tu-95 Bear bombers. That's no small feat," Angel pointed out.

"I agree with her," Whiskey said.

"Scratch that. I'm changing my title to 'Whiskey Agreed with Me.' My life is complete," she decided.

"I'm going to leave now," our briefer grumbled. The two of us laughed, amused by our antics. We kept up the banter the rest of the flight back, mostly to keep ourselves awake because my adrenaline high began to waver, and sleepiness started to set in. But, we made it back to base in one piece, and I ran to my phone to let Lucky know I was okay.

* * *

**Present Day...**

"Halo Team... I remember reading about them," Brian said. "They were an outstanding team. Do you still stay in touch with any of them?"

"No, not anymore. In the beginning, I did. We just all grew apart," I replied.

"What was Kit like?" Felicity asked, leaning on the counter on her crossed arms. Her emerald eyes bore into me like she was trying to figure out the answer before I spoke.

I smiled wistfully. "Kind, compassionate, and one hell of a fighter. He didn't survive the war, though. I miss him every day."

"I'm sorry," Brian said sadly. "The time makes it less painful, but the hole they leave in your heart never disappears."

"Eloquently put."

"He's trying to get into the University of North Point," Felicity explained. "For journalism. Hence his beautiful speech."

"Did you take a gap year?" I queried.

Brian nodded. "I took a gap year, and I also graduated when I was nineteen because I got held back because of the war. It's fine. I've been working at the bar to earn some extra money. It'll help go to my college fund."

"I see. If you need a reference, I'd be happy to write one for you. And if you need an in there, one of my former coworkers works there now. I'd be glad to put in a good word for you."

Brian beamed in excitement. "That'd be amazing! Thank you!"

"Of course. Very few people could've convinced me to come out and see them just based off of a letter. You have a talent. Now, what do you say we move onto the next mission?"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Imminent Threat

**Chapter Quote:  
**"**The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other."  
****~Mario Puzo**

* * *

Chapter 3: Imminent Threat

**Bryn**

I scanned the next part of Brian's letter, attempting to ignore the intense gaze Felicity was giving me. I had a sneaking suspicion she didn't like me. However, I pushed the thought out of my mind and read:

_The war seemed to unfold in the blink of an eye. I don't remember exactly when the forces from the west occupied my town; I was too busy scanning the skies day after day, waiting for "Yellow Thirteen" to reappear._

_Before I knew it, everything had changed. The language they taught us at school, our friendly local sheriff "disappeared" and was replaced by foreign MPs. In the beginning, some people secretly tuned into broadcasts from North Point on their parabolic antennas. But as time passed, the broadcasts no longer came in; maybe the satellites were destroyed._

_All non-military computer networks were shut down. Gasoline was rationed to civilians. Though we lived in the twenty-first century, we were reduced to using crystal radios and horse-drawn carts._

_I moved in with my uncle in town who used to be a taxi driver. Out of gasoline and out of work, my uncle did nothing but to drown himself in drink. I earned my keep by playing the harmonica in the town bar, the one thing I was good at. I'd play for sullen occupation soldiers in exchange for their charity in loose change and used the money to support my uncle and myself._

_My uncle trash-talked the barkeep who catered to the enemy soldiers, but he never refused the money I brought home. As for myself, I had a crush on the barkeep's only daughter, who was a little older than me._

_Another day passed yet still no sign of the fighter plane, Yellow Thirteen, in the skies above our town._

I smiled, making sure to fold it back up so Felicity wouldn't see the part about Brian liking her when he was little. Maybe she knew, maybe she didn't, but I didn't want to be the one to reveal the secret if it was unbeknownst to her.

I waited for Brian to enter the sunroom where Felicity and I waited with Mobius before diving into the next mission.

* * *

**5 October 2004…**

"You're alive!" Lucky exclaimed, sounding thoroughly relieved. I couldn't help but smile, imagining his face lighting up the way it used to. I wished I could see him in person. That's all I'd wanted for years now, but this war put up quite the obstacle.

"I'm alive. What about you? Any missions you're going on soon?"

"If I am, they haven't told me. Listen, when this war is all said and done, no matter what side wins, and dependent on whether we both make it out alive, I'm coming to see you, and I'm going to treat you to a nice dinner."

"It's us. Of course we're going to survive. I may not know anything about your squadron or call sign or number, but I know you, and I know you'll find a way to make it through this. And I'll make it through because, well, it's me, and I'm awesome."

Lucky snorted. "I know better than to argue that. Besides, you'll never get me to repeat this, but it's also true."

"I'm burning those words into my mind, and I'll never let you forget them."

"I believe you. Listen, I have to go for some training exercises, but I'll talk to you later. I'm looking forward to our date sometime in the future. Love you!"

"Love you too!" We hung up, and then I froze as his words dawned on me.

Did he say 'date'? As in a date 'date'? As in he liked me as more than a friend type thing? Or was it simply the only word he thought sufficed?

"Angel!" I shouted, sounding slightly more panicked than I intended. My best friend came skidding around the corner, demanding to know what was wrong. Making sure no one was eavesdropping, I told her my conversation with Lucky.

Her grin got wider and wider, reaching almost physically ear to ear. When I finished, she said, "He definitely is meaning it as a romantic thing, not as a friendship thing."

"But how can you be sure? We've been friends for so many years now that it could just be-"

"Shut up and believe a guy likes you. He would not be risking what he is for any girl. I know you two are best friends, but he's calling you every day. And you him. I _know _you like him as more than a friend."

"What are you talking about?"

"I see the way you light up when you are either talking about him or to him. I've never seen you act the same around any other guy. So my goal is to make sure we win this war so you can get back to your future husband."

"Angel!" I upbraided.

"What? I'm calling it now," she defended. "You two are going to end up married. If I'm right, my only request is I'm your M.O.H. at your wedding."

"First off, who else would I ask? Secondly, I'm not getting my hopes up in case one of us doesn't-"

"Don't think like that," Angel interrupted. "You're both going to make it."

I took a deep breath and nodded. I accidentally allowed my thoughts to run away. It'd been happening more and more recently, at least when it came to Lucky. Everything and everyone else I could think straight and logically about. Not him, though.

A knock on the door interrupted our little heart-to-heart session as Whiskey poked his head into the room, informing us we had a new mission. The briefing would be starting in five minutes. We nodded, grabbing our gear, then following him. I sent Lucky a text to let him know a mission had just come my way. He responded almost immediately, telling me to be careful.

Angel and I took our seats in the front, waiting impatiently for the lights to dim and for Whiskey to start the briefing. Thankfully, it didn't take long.

"The enemy-held Rigley Air Base is located in close proximity to our front-lines, making it the proverbial knife at our throat," Whiskey explained. "A large Erusian bomber contingent was deployed to Rigley. Their intentions are clear- a full-scale strike on our forces at North Point is imminent. Your mission is to catch these bombers on the ground and destroy them. We intend to turn the parking ramp at Rigley into a junkyard."

Operation: Harvest

Location: Rigley Air Base

Date: 5 October 2004

Time: 1329 hours

Angel and I glanced at each other, surprised by the slight venom in Whiskey's voice. His usually stoic demeanor had temporarily been replaced by emotion. It was subtle, but still noticeable by anyone who knew him well.

We stood up and strode off to the hangar, our comrades trailing behind us. It didn't take long for us all to get sorted and into our planes. I led the way out and was soon tearing down the runway, then gliding smoothly up into the crystal blue skies. Off in the distance, where our operation would be taking place, I could see daunting gray clouds. I hoped they wouldn't release a torrential downpour on us while we were there.

The flight to our destination was short, and before I knew it, SkyEye came onto the radio and announced, "Thirty miles to Rigley Air Base. Use the power lines to navigate north. The bombers should be clumped together on the ground. Take them all out!"

"Be calm and give it your best shot when the enemy arrives," an ally encouraged. I refrained from making a sarcastic retort back. I knew he was only trying to help out the nervous rookies on the team.

"Damn it, I ain't going home in a body bag," another one said. "And none of the rest of you are allowed to either!"

I dipped my plane, lowering my altitude, hoping it would be harder to spot me on on radar. Angel kept Halo Team up high. The first target, a non-critical one, popped up my radar, showing itself to be directly in front of me.

"Neutralize the substation if possible," an ally said.

Since I was closest, I took the responsibility of doing so, but not before the enemy saw us coming and announced frantically, "Bogeys closing in on Rigley AB. Scramble at once! This is not a drill! I repeat this is not a drill. Intercept immediately."

"Here comes the party!" Murray exclaimed as I locked onto the substation. However, rather than wasting missiles, I switched to guns. The substation didn't seem very well protected, and I turned out to be right. Within a few moments and a relentless barrage of gunfire, I swiftly took care of the target.

"I don't see how this is a party," Angel responded.

"White Five, this is Rigley Air Base. You're cleared to take off runway five," the enemy said. "Take off as soon as you enter the runway."

I noticed two fighter jets zip above me, heading towards my allies. I wanted to go after them but understood the bombers were our top priority. Instead, I delegated, "Halo Team, engage the enemy fighters. I'm going to go after the bombers."

"Roger that," Angel responded. She and Halo team split off, then surrounded the two jets from all sides. It was one of the signature moves for Halo Team. Whether the enemy went up or down, they wouldn't be able to escape my allies.

Meanwhile, I floored it toward the cluster of targets showing up on my radar. That's where the bombers were located; it had to be. But on my way there, three MIGs lined up in front of me. With all my allies too far away to help, I shifted my attention briefly on the fighters. Lining up behind one, I waited until I got a missile lock.

"Oh, geez!" An enemy groaned as I entered the base's airspace. I couldn't help but be surprised by his language. I thought it'd be a little more distressed and involve more expletives. But I didn't have time to dwell about it because I got a lock on the enemy. Firing, I waited with bated breath to see if my missile hit its target. The fireball told me it had. Smiling, I went after the other one.

"This is White One, get him off me!" an enemy pilot barked at his comrades.

"Ember, I thought you were going to be taking care of the bombers?" Angel inquired, her plane appearing next to mine with her squadron playing catch up with us.

"I was, but then these guys showed up, and you were too far away to help," I replied, firing my guns at the plane when I got within range. Angel joined in, and together we quickly destroyed it.

"You're this badass fighter pilot with the best evasive maneuvers I've ever seen. You're telling me you couldn't have avoided them for like, two minutes?"

"Could I have? Yes. Did I want to? No."

"You're more impatient than me, you know that?"

"I'm not the one who called the Usean Air Force Academy asking if I'd been accepted _the day after I turned in my application_," I countered.

"Just go take care of those bloody bombers," Angel griped, causing me to laugh at my landslide of a victory. I swiveled my plane back around, diving towards the ground. One of the bombers lay directly in front of me. Still using my guns, I shot at the target, allowing myself to get dangerously close to the ground. Right before I pulled up, I managed to destroy the aircraft.

"Yahoo!" Murray cheered. "Good going!"

"You get any more excited, you're going to crash," Halo Two joked affectionately.

"Don't worry, Paul. I'm not going anywhere, pal."

They would've continued their banter, but the enemy interrupted with, "This is Rigley, we've been attacked! We're currently engaging the enemy! Control Tower, confirm number of enemy aircraft."

I swung my plane back around, causing the enemy aircraft to fall into a beautifully straight line for me. While they weren't the bombers, taking them down now would cause a maze for our main targets to the runway, and would leave fewer headaches for us.

There was a hangar in my line of fire, too. It might not be a mandatory target, but right now, I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I fired a missile at the hangar, another at the first enemy fighter, and then proceeded to use my guns to inflict as much damage as possible on the rest as I flew over them. Shockingly, it didn't take much. They were either crappy planes or more worried about maneuverability than protection. Whatever the case, I was happy with the ease of it all.

"Damn! It's no use. I'm hit!" An enemy shouted. I figured they'd been one of the guys I'd just attacked. I tried not to think about his words. I had a job to finish.

I shot out about two-thousand yards, taking out an AA gun on the way, before flipping my plane upside down and heading towards a group of three bombers next to a runway. Rather than wasting regular missiles and gunfire on these bombers, I chose to instead drop a UGBL on them. They were more effective when the targets were bunched up together rather than a straight line like earlier.

I watched for a brief moment the explosion down below; gauging by the fact all the targets disappeared off the radar, I knew they'd been taken out of commission.

"Alright, Mobius One!" an ally cheered.

"This is Rigley," the enemy base came back on. "We've taken serious damage from enemy attacks. We're going to be wiped out if this keeps up!"

"Keep it up, everyone!" Angel encouraged.

"Get moving! Their bombing's very effective," another enemy remarked.

"That's all Mobius right there," Paul noted drolly.

"Don't go giving her a bigger head than she already has," Angel warned.

"Can't take some competition?" I taunted good-naturedly as I lined up three hangars in my sights. As I flew over them, I blasted them quickly and effectively with gunfire.

"Oh please. I thrive in competition."

"The airport's down. Landings are impossible," an enemy informed, sending a surge of pride through me. My allies and I were succeeding in what we had planned to do. Very few missions ever went according to plan the way we wanted them to. Usually, our missions had at least one surprise we weren't expecting.

"Going in for another run," I said, aligning myself once more so the targets were in straight in front of me. "Angel, get behind me. I'm going to take out as many enemies as I can. Whatever I miss, take care of them."

"You're lucky I like you," Angel responded drolly. "If it were anyone else bossing me around, they'd have my foot so far up their-"

"Halo One, focus on the mission, SkyEye interrupted with horrendously impeccable timing. I had really wanted to hear what Angel was going to say, even though I had a strong suspicion of what it was.

"This is Rigley, do something about those bandits!" the base shouted frantically. "Move the bombers!"

"Look at 'em all lined up like sitting ducks," Paul said. I wondered where he was, only to see him off in the distance chasing after a MIG.

With Angel now directly behind me, I started firing at the targets in front of me. Some were hangars; some were bombers. Realizing I'd been stealing the show most of today, I decided to let Angel get in on some of the action, purposefully firing just under the requirement to destroy them. Instead, I took out the remaining hangars. Glancing back, I saw Angel, fast and furious, firing missiles at the bombers. One by one, they disappeared off the radar.

The two of us circled back around. In doing so, I locked onto a MIG not too far away. I fired a missile at it, not entirely expecting it to hit, but pleasantly surprised when it did. Everyone else seemed shocked, though.

"_How_?" Angel demanded, not even bothering to elaborate on what she was referring to.

"Lucky shot?" I suggested.

"Lucky my ass." She took her anger out on some ground forces, including a couple of AA guns. I wisely kept my mouth shut. I didn't think she'd turn on me like The Demon Lord's wingman had, but I also didn't want to take my chances either.

"I don't care if you hit one of our guys," an enemy snarled. His words made me shiver. How could an ally say that? Were they that desperate?

"Pull yourselves together! They aren't invincible!" another retorted. At least he seemed to have some common sense. I shuddered again at the idea of turning on my own allies, my own friends. It was the reason Lucky and I never said anything about our missions or our call signs or our squadrons. Did I worry I'd face him every time I went up in the air? Of course I did. But so far, our missions hadn't aligned in timing with each other. When they did, that's when I'd decide to worry.

"We're almost there, guys!" Murray encouraged. "Just follow Angel and Ember's lead!"

"Yeah, follow my lead guys!" I responded gaily, setting my sights on an enemy plane that had just ascended into the air. How they achieved getting jets into the sky was beyond me considering their runway was in shambles. But their time up here wouldn't last long.

Realizing I was behind them, the enemy sped up, going into multiple loops in an attempt to evade me. I might've lost sight of them a few times, but never long enough to lose him completely. I managed to take them out after a while. Either they got sick of consistently making loops, or they got disoriented from them. Either way, it helped me out.

I nose-dived toward the ground, not having realized we'd gone close to fifteen-thousand feet in the chase. Below I could see my comrades making passes at the targets, but avoiding the anti-aircraft simultaneously. I ordered them to take care of the artillery while I took out the remaining bombers. My plane could handle more than theirs if it got hit.

Albeit being too far away, I started firing my guns, praying the bullets would hit what I intended them to. The hangars were big enough that it might work; the bombers were another story…

But it worked! At least on the hangars, it did.

I watched as one building exploded, then a second. As I got closer, I aimed at the third, demolishing it right as I pulled away from the ground before I became one with the dirt.

"Die you S.O.B!" an ally shouted, taking me by surprise. I'd never heard the voice on the radio before, but I knew it was one of ours. Apparently, I wasn't the only one confused by the new person.

"Was… was that Gary?" Paul queried hesitantly.

"I think it was," Murray said. "I don't think I've ever heard him talk."

"I've heard him say 'no' once," Angel chimed in. "And he says 'yes ma'am' and 'no ma'am.' You'd think him being number four on my wing that I'd have heard him say more than that."

"Hey Gary, you read me?" I prodded, wondering if I could get a response out of him. I was met only by radio silence. "I'll get you to talk to me one day."

Angel harrumphed. "Good luck with that."

"I don't know. I'm feeling pretty lucky today, especially because I'm about to take your targets. Incoming!" I warned before letting loose a barrage of gunfire on the three bombers Angel had been honing in on. I succeeded in eliminating two of three, allowing my comrade to take out third.

"Damn it, Ember!" Angel snapped.

"I'm giving you competition so you can thrive," I countered.

She huffed. "I hate it when you throw my words back in my face."

"Just warn me if you're getting to the point where you want to pull a Solo Wing Pixy and shoot me down."

"I'd have to be brainwashed for that to happen."

"You think he was?"

"They had to have said something to him. I mean, the rumor is he and the Demon Lord were brothers to each other and referred to each other as such often. Makes you wonder-"

"-what the hell they said to him," I finished. We fell silent, pondering the thought.

"They're most vulnerable when they start their bomb runs," an enemy noted. I cringed at the accuracy of his statement because we _were_. We were diving headfirst toward the ground, usually closer to enemy fire which could hit us, and we may not have time pull up. Hopefully, their shots were as accurate as a Star Wars' stormtrooper's.

"The last target is dead ahead," Angel said. "Mobius One, you get the honors since you've kicked ass this mission."

"Aww, I was going to let you have it as a consolation prize," I replied.

"No, no, age before beauty."

"You're older than me."

"I… damn it," she muttered. Unable to come up with a retort, Angel aimed the last transport plane, swiftly destroying it.

**Mission Accomplished**

"This is Rigley. Our bombers are decimated! Repeat, all our bombers are decimated!"

"SkyEye, this is fighter squadron. Mission complete, we're coming home," Murray said happily.

"Drinks are on Angel since she got the last target!" Paul exclaimed.

"That's the real reason you didn't want to take out the last bomber, isn't it?" Angel asked suspiciously. It was, but I denied it repeatedly. I would never let her know. To be honest, I couldn't afford to buy everyone drinks at the moment. I'd spent the majority of my paycheck paying for the calls to Kit. He was worth it though, and besides, I didn't have to pay rent or utilities or even food (unless I bought some junk food to satisfy my midnight cravings) because I lived on base. If I was paying out the wazoo to talk to him, I wondered how much he was paying…

"Let's hurry and get back to base so we can get those drinks!" Murray encouraged. None of us argued although Angel and I had some good-natured bickering along the way. We were only interrupted once by Whiskey conducting an in-flight debriefing, saying, "The attack was a success. A significant number of enemy bombers were eliminated, and a full-scale air strike on North Point was averted."

"What? No 'congratulations Halo Team,' or 'good job, Halo One and Mobius One'?" Angel joked.

Silence.

"Guess he's not in the mood for our antics," I said.

My friend snorted. "Is he ever?"

I grinned. "Probably not. Maybe he'll open up if you buy him a drink."

"I'm getting everyone drink's but you."

"Hey!" I protested.

"You dug this hole yourself."

"What if I tell you the real reason I let you take it when we get back to base?" I suggested, knowing fully well Angel would be unable to resist the temptation of a good secret.

"Fine, but if it's not up to my expectations, the drink is off again."

"Deal."

"Can we know the real reason?" Paul asked.

Simultaneously, Angel and I responded with a resounding, "No."

* * *

**Present Day…**

**Brian**

"Okay, I have to ask, did you ever actually meet Solo Wing Pixy? The guy's almost as much of a legend as the Demon Lord and the Razgriz and Garuda Team," I stated, intrigued. Some irrational part of me believed all ace pilots knew each other. The idea was ridiculous, but I held out hope she did. How cool would it be if she knew another legendary pilot?

"Not in person, no," Bryn said. "But I've met him over Skype. And looking back on it, pretty sure he was on the ground for a few of the missions I was on."

"How did that happen?"

"I called my cousin one day to see how he was doing, and Pixy was there with him."

"Who the hell is your cousin?" Felicity inquired. Even she seemed impressed with Mobius knowing Solo Wing Pixy.

"Cipher, but he's usually known as the Demon Lord."

I choked on my drink; Felicity thumped my back a few times to help. I stared at Bryn as I said incredulously, "Your cousin is the Demon Lord?"

"Yeah, one of them. Garuda One and Razgriz One are my other cousins. Actually, the Demon Lord is the uncle of Razgriz One," she explained. Words would not form, at least not any sufficient to convey my shock. A grin broke onto her face, amused by my reaction.

Finally, after an embarrassingly long time of stunned silence, I said, "Okay, so I don't know why this is the only question coming to mind when there are _so many others_ I could ask, but why didn't Blaze tell Pixy whose number she had given him?"

"You know? I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. "Want to ask her?"

I nearly fell into another stunned silence, barely managing to stammer out, "A-ask her?"

"Yeah, I can call her on Skype. She should be all settled back at home. She's had one hell of a year between getting trapped in Emmeria, having a baby while in the middle of a war zone, dying, fighting in an air battle-"

"She _died_?" Felicity and I demanded at the same time.

Bryn nodded. "Complications during birth. They were able to resuscitate her, but yeah, she died briefly. She's fine now."

"Holy hell," I said.

"Before the offer disappears, I'll speak on Brian's behalf and say yes, he would love to speak with Razgriz One," Felicity spoke up, patting me affectionately on the shoulder.

"All right, hang on." I watched as Mobius One tapped a few things on her phone. My friend and I casually sidled around the island, flanking the ace pilot. Bryn propped her phone up against her mug as it rang, and rang, and rang before-

"Hey, Bryn!" A stunning blonde appeared on the screen, standing behind a kitchen counter while holding a tiny baby with one arm and writing stuff down with her free hand.

"Hey, Blaze! How are you?" Bryn asked.

"I'm not fighting any wars, not hiding from enemy forces, don't have anyone trying to kill me, so I'd say I'm good. Keeping busy; my kids are keeping me on my toes. Will and Jem are around here somewhere. Part of me wants to see what they're up to, but the other part is telling me I don't want to know. Who are your friends?"

"This is Brian Galbraith and Felicity Vickers. Remember that letter I told you about?"

"The one sent by the guy about his time during the war with Yellow Thirteen?"

"Precisely. Brian here is the one who wrote it. He had a question for you after he found out you were my cousin."

Blaze smiled. "What would you like to- hold on." Her gaze shifted to something, or someone, over the counter because she questioned firmly, "Will, Jem, what do you two have?"

"A knife!" Two toddler voices responded enthusiastically.

"No!" Blaze shouted, darting away from the camera. I could hear some frantic scrambling of feet sliding and pattering on the floor and many giggles before the sounds of angry crying. Blaze came back into view with two steak knives in her hand, her cheeks flushed. Blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face, she said, "This is the second time this has happened today. I don't know how they keep getting to them. I only keep them in the drawer, and they haven't been near it once today!"

"That you've seen," Bryn pointed out.

"They did inherit my stealth ability." She stared distastefully at the sharp instruments glinting in her hand. The baby in her arms lunged for them, causing Blaze to exclaim, "Not you, too!"

"You're going to have to keep an eye on Shiloh when she's older because it appears she's already attracted to them. So three of your kids are there, where's Lux?"

"Chopper took her to a doctor's appointment for a check-up," Blaze said. "All right, Brian, sorry for interrupting you earlier. What was your question?"

"I wanted to know why you didn't tell Pixy or Cipher that you gave Pixy Cipher's number," I replied, bracing myself on my elbows on the counter as if leaning closer to the camera would give me my answer faster.

Blaze chuckled. "I think you're the only person who has ever asked me that. The truth is I figured if I told either of them, they'd chicken out talking to each other, and I refused to let that happen."

"Were either of them upset with you when they found out?"

"No, and if they were, they didn't say anything about it. Both had wanted to meet the other again. I simply helped them expedite the process."

"God, I have so many questions for you, but I don't want to keep you. I also want to let you know that one of your sons has found a way on top of the kitchen counter behind you," I remarked, causing her to whirl around.

"William Dean, you get off that counter right this instant!" She barked. Her tone made me want to get off the counter, and I wasn't even on one, let alone the one she was yelling at. William reluctantly listened to his mom, wriggling onto his stomach and dangling half his body off the edge of the granite. A pair of tiny hands popped up beneath him, helping lower him down, which made Blaze groan, "James Samuel, you're supposed to be the good one. You're not supposed to help your brother in his mischief."

"Is he really the good one?" Bryn mused.

"Believe it or not, yes. Jem and Shiloh are the good ones. Will and Lux are the trouble-makers. Actually, it's more like Will and Lux get into trouble, and Shiloh and Jem get them out. Listen, I'm going to put the boys down for a nap. Maybe then I can get some sleep too. Brian, Felicity, it was nice meeting you both. Brian, if you ever think of more questions, just have Bryn give you my number, and I'd be happy to answer them for you. If you have questions for any other Razgriz members, I'll have them come over."

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed. "That would be amazing, and I'll definitely take you up on the offer!"

We exchanged our goodbyes, and then Mobius One hung up. She asked where the bathroom was, and I directed her to go down the hallway. When she was out of earshot, Felicity hit me on the arm and whispered, "Don't think I haven't noticed you haven't told her."

"Told her what?" I answered sheepishly, knowing entirely what she meant.

"About who your father really is!"

"It's not exactly something I want to tell her right now because I don't want her to think this is some setup. I'm going to tell her, but I need to find the right time."

"Just… be careful, Brian. I'm getting this weird feeling about her."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I think I've seen her before. I can't place where from, but I swear on my life I've seen her before."

"If you figure it out, you'll let me know, right?"

"Of course."

"Do you two want to hear the next mission?" Bryn questioned, walking into the room. Felicity and I jumped apart, trying to act nonchalant even though our actions were anything but scandalous. Mobius narrowed her eyes slightly but refrained from saying anything about it.

"Yes, we would love to hear about the next mission!" Felicity replied quickly. "What's next?"

* * *

**I'm so, so sorry it took so long to get this posted! Work has been killing me, and we got a new dog that we're training, but the chapter is **_**finally **_**here, and I hope you enjoyed the cameo in it J Reviews would be great!**


	4. The Northern Eye

**Chapter Quote:  
****"Memory is a way of telling you what's important to you."  
****~Salman Rushdie**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Northern Eye

**Brian**

_One night, a spirited group made their way into the bar, chased out the sullen army grunts, and commandeered the place._

_Even I knew who they were._

_The patch on their sleeve was the mark of the proud air force._

_A loud-mouthed, middle-aged man went around, announcing each pilot's results for the day and his running kill record. For those who exceeded five kills, a thorough toasting- and soaking followed. I believe it was their custom to call a pilot an "Ace" once he shot down five planes._

_After completing the day's review, the same guy- the squadron adjutant- went on to announce, "And now, for our leader's results!" Everyone turned around to look at the quiet man who sat alone, strumming a guitar. I found myself drawn to the music from his guitar. "Our Yellow Thirteen bagged three more today, bringing his new tally up to sixth-four kills."_

_With a tentative smile, the man with the guitar turned to me and asked me to accompany him on my harmonica. I brought it up to my lips, and he started a new song._

_I had finally found _him_._

_But by some fluke, it was my father's favorite song, the one he used to play at the end of each day._

When Bryn finished reading the letter, I had a flashback of that night, staying in the bar until all the Eruseans drunkenly stumbled out of the bar. But Yellow Thirteen stayed behind a little while longer and talked to me, learning my name and how I learned to play the harmonica. Afterward, he walked me home to my apartment to ensure I arrived safely.

I remember wanting to hate him. I _did _hate him because he was the reason my parents were dead. He was a monster. But how could a monster be so nice? They couldn't. So was he one?

Deep thoughts for an eight-year-old, I know.

"How do you remember what you were doing at eight years old?" Felicity asked. "I can barely remember what I had for breakfast, and we only ate a few hours ago."

I shrugged. "Photographic memory?"

"That would actually make a lot of sense. What was the name of your dad's favorite song?"

"You've_ Lost that Love and Feeling _by the Righteous Brothers. Can you believe it was Yellow Thirteen's favorite song, too?"

"You know, stranger things have happened," Bryn said. "Funnily enough, that's the song my cousin's husband sang when he proposed to her the second time."

"What happened the first time? Did she say no?"

"Oh no, she said yes. But then he was injured in battle and kept flying his plane, only landing it when everyone evacuated the stadium, but his canopy wouldn't open, so everyone believed he crashed and died, but he didn't, and it turns out he was alive but captured by the Belkans."

"Wait, that sounds like Blaze and Chopper, from what I remember from their interview."

"_From what I remember_." Felicity snorted. "You watched it so many times, you probably have it memorized word for word."

I glared at her but said nothing, unable to come up with a good retort because, unfortunately, she was right. I lost count of how many times I watched the Razgriz interview and the subsequent ones, but it was a lot. Certainly, more than I could remember, even with my fantastic memory.

"I'm talking about Blaze and Chopper," Bryn confirmed. "The amount of times they've died is unnatural. I swear they really are demons sometimes."

"How many times?"

"Chopper once, and Blaze technically died three times if you count her being shot down as Wardog, leading everyone to believe she was dead for a little bit… so four? Two of those times were literal. That's what happens when you've been stabbed in the stomach and then have a pregnancy complication."

"I'd say an angel is watching over her, but I think Razgriz- if it really exists- has decided she still needs to be around," I said. "Do you think you ever had an angel watching over you?"

"I don't know when Lucky died, but I'm positive it was before my last mission, and so I think he was. Part of me wondered if he was Yellow Thirteen because the day I shot him down was the last day I heard from Lucky. Or maybe he was in Yellow Squadron. I've never been able to find out." Despite her steady tone, I couldn't help but notice the sadness flicker in her eyes. I wondered if I could find out for her since my dad knew everything about Yellow squadron.

Deciding to change the subject, I asked, "Speaking of Yellow Thirteen, when do you meet him? What mission?"

She smiled. "Patience. Trust me, we'll get there. As for my next mission, this is what happened."

* * *

**Bryn**

Miranda and I sat in the briefing room, staring out the window at the howling winds. A cold front had moved in overnight, and you could barely step outside without being blown all the way to Osea. If that happened to me, I'd say hi to my cousins: Elizabeth, Genette, and their uncle Jason. I'd never actually met Jason, only heard about him through the other two. He'd been a fighter pilot during the Belkan War, a mercenary. I always wondered if he knew the Demon Lord, the man who inspired me to become a pilot, but never got the courage to ask. Everyone probably asked him that question anyway. Maybe I could talk to Elizabeth and Genette about that…

I noticed Whiskey making his way inside, scowling at the weather, and I said, "I bet you twenty bucks he makes a comment about the wind."

"Whiskey never talks about anything but work. You're on," Miranda agreed, shaking my hand. The two of us faced the door a couple seconds later to see Whiskey walk in with the rest of the pilots behind.

"It's not normal out there. The wind must be blowing eighty miles an hour," he said, logging onto the computer. I held out my hand, and Miranda grudgingly handed me the money. Noticing, Whiskey asked, "What's that for?"

"Just a bet we had going on," I replied, smirking at my friend. She flipped me off in return. "So, what's the mission for today?"

"Sit down, and I'll tell you."

Obeying, I took a seat in front. Miranda went to sit with her squadron on the other side.

Whiskey loaded the briefing and began speaking. "The Allied Forces are retreating, and survivors are gathering at the northern point of St. Ark. However, the radar facilities atop Mt. Shezna provide tactical support to the enemy. As a result, our evac mission is in jeopardy. If our troops can successfully evacuate and regroup at North Point, they will become a formidable force in future battles. Your mission is to destroy the radar facilities on Mt. Shezna, thereby blinding the enemy and hiding our troop movements."

Operation: Whiteout

Location: Mt. Shezna

Date: 10 October 2004

Time: 1628 hours

"Well, that sounds easy enough," Miranda said, coming up beside me as I shot Lucky a text about my mission. I shoved my phone in my pocket before my friend could see what I was doing. I didn't have anything to hide from her. Still, sometimes I didn't want to talk about him to her, especially with so many people around.

"Don't say easy. Never say easy. Bad things happen when we say easy," I replied. We headed towards the hangar to get our planes.

"We're literally just destroying radar facilities and probably a few jets. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You're really asking for it, aren't you?"

"Probably. As long as we're not up against Yellow Thirteen, I think we're safe."

"Yellow Thirteen?" I repeated. I'd never heard about any pilots from Erusea, let alone this Yellow Thirteen person, but he had to be good if Miranda mentioned him.

"He's this super ace for Erusea. No fighter pilot can go up against him and survive. Rumor is he's looking for someone to kick his ass."

"He obviously hasn't met us yet."

Miranda threw her arm around me. "You're damn right about that. He couldn't handle us."

"Probably because you two talk so much," Murray joked. We both glowered at him, forcing him to sheepishly apologize and scurry off to his plane.

"I love having the power to do that," Miranda said with a blissful sigh.

"Don't let him hear me say this, but he might have a point," I told her. "We do have an impressive ability to talk non-stop."

"Like you're doing now," Whiskey interrupted. "You two better get in your planes before the Base Commander reprimands you. Again."

Saluting him our thanks, Miranda and I hopped into our jets and prepared to take off. She and her squadron led the charge, but I was close behind. I didn't have my own unit, but Halo team basically served under me too.

Given clearance to take off, I shot down the runway, quickly lifting in the air and falling in line behind my comrades. It didn't take long to get to the combat area.

"So, what's the wager today? Who's going to have more kills?" Paul asked when we neared the battle zone. "Angel or Ember?"

"I am _not _getting myself into that debate. Both of them already want to kill me after my comment earlier," Murray said.

I laughed. "Don't worry. We're not going to kill you here. We need you right now."

"Yeah, you need me _here_. What's to say you won't shoot me down after we win this battle?"

"Then you better hope you brought a coat. It's pretty damn cold outside," Miranda told him. I glanced at the snow-covered hills below us, glad to be in the warmth of my plane. It'd suck to have to eject out in this.

"Thanks, Captain. It's good to know how much you appreciate me," Murray responded sarcastically.

"This combat area is within enemy airspace. Keep an eye out for bandits," warned SkyEye. "Use vector 180 to return home after destroying the target. Remember, a safe return completes the mission."

"You hear that, Captain? Ember? A safe return completes the mission. Means if I don't return, the mission fails," Murray said.

"Oh no, it only refers to captains," Miranda replied. "So you're shit out of luck."

"Damn it…"

Flooring my engines, I shot past my companions, taking the lead. Looking at my radar, I announced, "Bandit approaching. You got it, Angel?"

"I see it. You go on ahead. We'll get this," she said. But as the plane approached, I took a gamble and locked on, firing missiles at it. Both hit, destroying the bandit, and causing Miranda to bitch at me for showing off. I told her to get to my level. Pretty sure she flipped me off, even though I couldn't see it.

"This is Shezna Radar One. Bandits approaching vector 135."

Were we picking up enemy transmissions again?

"One of our planes was hit!" an enemy exclaimed. "Keep an eye on those escorts."

That answers that.

"Two more planes, Angel. I take one, you take the other?" I asked.

"You going to follow through on that this time?" she countered. I confirmed I would as I shot missiles at one of the incoming planes. I refrained from firing my guns at the other one, allowing my comrade to get it in one swift swoop.

"Engage hostile aircraft and keep them from the radar," an enemy commanded.

As if on cue, a radar station appeared on the apex of a hill. I dropped an XSDB (Advanced Small Diameter Bomb) on top of it, effectively eliminating the target.

"Target destruction confirmed," SkyEye said.

"Let's do this!" Paul exclaimed.

"You get any more excited, you're going to crash," Murray told him. Halo team had finally caught up to me as I took on the first cluster of radars. I'd dropped another bomb on them, but it only damaged the buildings. Miranda followed closely behind me while her wingmen circled the sky to protect us from any enemy fighters.

I turned my plane back around after my first run, setting my sights on the remaining radar. Miranda took the one that was two hills over. We effortlessly destroyed them, causing Murray to go, "Yahoo! Good going!"

"Yahoo should remain a search engine. Not an exclamation of joy coming out of your mouth," Miranda quipped.

"Now that's just rude. Is it pick on Murray day? Is this payback for earlier?"

"Do you really need an answer to that?" I asked.

He sighed. "This is going to be a long mission…"

"Radar One, do you read me?" an enemy inquired worriedly. Quiet fell over the radio for a few moments, causing the man to say, "Shezna Radar One's gone silent!"

"Ember, that was supposed to be mine!" Paul said after I destroyed a bandit coming at me.

"Well, I'm heading to the next target area, and it was there, just waiting for me to shoot it down. I couldn't resist."

"Uh-huh, _sure_."

"Any planes that slip past me on the way to the next area, you can have."

"Gee, thanks."

"Or you can get ahead of me and fire on them. But you have to catch up to me first."

Paul snorted. "Not all of us are lucky enough to have planes as fast as the Raptor."

"Get to my level, and one day you will."

"Your level is impossible. I'm not as good at sweet-talking as you."

"She can sweet-talk anyone but a guy she likes," Miranda said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who do you like?" Paul demanded.

I groaned. "No one. I'm just shit at flirting in general when I like a guy. Let's just focus on the mission."

"As much as I'd like to interrogate you about this potential love interest, I agree," Paul said. "Target confirmed on the summit."

"Target acquired," I replied, noticing it in the distance.

"Radar Base Two at vector 290. Four miles," SkyEye informed. I closed in rapidly on the location, switching to special weapons and launching an XSDB. I proceeded to swerve away to go after an enemy fighter, going back to missiles and firing at them. I destroyed the plane. Turning back around, I found out my bomb annihilated a majority of the radar base. Only a few targets remained. While I fired on them, Miranda took care of the two fighters above, watching my back. Sometimes I wondered what I'd ever do without her.

Quickly wiping out the rest of the station, SkyEye said, "Target destruction confirmed."

I didn't know why he had to announce it every time. I knew I'd destroyed it, and so did my comrades. Considering we were the only ones out here, there was no one else in need of the information. Maybe SkyEye just liked the sound of his own voice.

"Ember, hate to break it to you, but you missed the radar," Miranda said.

"I did what?! How the hell did my missile not decimate that thing?" I groaned. "What's that thing made of?"

"Don't worry, I've got you covered." I turned around to see Miranda shoot a missile at close range and take out the radar. Suddenly my alarms started blaring.

**Mission Update**

"Fighter squadron here," Paul began, "mission accomplished."

"SkyEye here. Radar facilities confirmed destroyed. All aircraft, take vector 180 south."

"We all alive? Good," Miranda said. "Hey Ember, I told you that'd be easy."

"Yeah, yeah. One day, your words are going to bite you in the ass," I retorted.

"But not today!"

"Mobius One, perform landing check. You are cleared to land."

The interruption forced me to focus on landing my plane safely. How I'd ended up on an aircraft carrier, I'll never know. While I'd performed exceptionally well on the test for it, I still hated landing on them.

Slowing down my plane, I leveled out. If I was too high, I'd miss the carrier. If I was too low, I'd crash, and it'd be bye-bye Ember.

No matter how many times I did this, I still tensed when I landed, but it was perfect every time, including today. The control tower operator even said, "Nicely done, Mobius One! Go and prepare for your next sortie."

Oh god, I hope there's not another one today…

**Mission Accomplished**

As my plane was lowered into the hangar, Whiskey came on and debriefed us on the mission. "With their radar out of commission, the enemy's command and control is degraded. The evac and regrouping efforts are proceeding as scheduled.

"I expected more from that if I'm being honest," I said.

"Me, too," Miranda remarked. "You'd think after saving our allies from being seen by the radar, we'd get a little more credit."

Paul came on. "How much fame do you two want?"

"Enough that gives us more money than we're making. I've racked up quite the phone bill," I admitted, omitting the reason behind my extortionate bill. Lucky was worth it, but I'd be damned if I didn't say my paycheck paid the price of it.

"Write a book," Murray suggested.

"I'm a fighter, not a writer."

"But, are you a lover?"

"I'm still in an armed plane, you know."

"Fighter it is."

I grinned. "Smart boy."

I waited for Halo Team to be brought into the hangar before getting out of my plane. The five of us headed to the mess hall to get something to eat. Flying always gave us an appetite, and today was spaghetti, which was one of the better food days on the ship.

Paul, Murray, and Gary walked ahead of Miranda and me, the former two deep in conversation. Leaning in close, Miranda asked, "Did Lucky respond?"

"Oh, shit! I forgot to check!" I exclaimed, scrambling to grab my phone.

A text from him waited for me, and I hastily opened it, reading: _Good luck! Love you!_

Unable to hold back my smile, I sent him a response back, saying I'd returned safe and sound with only my patience for my friends in jeopardy. It made him laugh, and we decided to talk on the phone later after I ate to avoid me getting 'hangry.'

"Aww, he said he loved you!" Miranda said, clasping her hands together. "I'm calling it now, you two are getting married."

I shook my head. "You're delusional. Come on, let's go eat."

* * *

**Present day…**

**Brian**

"Have you met the Demon Lord too?" I asked, unable to hold in the question any longer.

"I did. I actually flew down to for Chopper's proposal to her with my cousin Talisman and met him for the first time. We stay in touch, but I'm not as close to him as I am to Blaze. She's kind of the glue that holds us all together," Bryn said.

"I'd love to meet him one day."

She began laughing. "Would you like to meet my entire family?"

"Yes. Yes, I would," I admitted unabashedly.

"He'd probably forget how to speak for five minutes if he ever did meet them in person," Felicity said. "He'd be so star-struck."

Bryn grinned. "Would he drool a little?"

"Probably."

"I'm right here, you know!" I protested.

"We know." Felicity smirked at him, then glanced down at Mobius, who was pawing at her. "I'm going to take him out. I think he needs the bathroom. I'll be back."

Felicity and Mobius left the kitchen. Ember and I discussed the battle some more as I barraged her with questions. I asked a lot about Miranda, wanting to know how they knew each other. Apparently, they'd attended college together, although Miranda was a couple years older than her. However, they'd been stationed on the same carrier and had become an unbeatable pair throughout their time together.

When Felicity came back in, she shook snow out of her hair and said, "It's a bloody blizzard out there. I don't know if you'll be able to get back to town, Bryn. Is your suitcase at your hotel?"

"No, it's in my car. I didn't book a place. There were enough Bnbs open, and I figured I'd just walk into one."

"You're welcome to stay here," I offered. "Both of you. If it's a blizzard, you shouldn't be driving in it."

"I wouldn't want to intrude. I've already caused enough trouble today, showing up unannounced and all. Besides, I don't know if your dad wants a stranger staying in your house," Bryn replied.

"I have Felicity with me, so I wouldn't be alone. And if I tell him who you are and why you're here, I'm sure I could convince him that it's okay. Let me call him and explain the circumstances. Excuse me."

Before she could argue, I darted to my room, dialing my dad. He picked up on the first ring and said, "Hey, what's going on? You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I just had a question," I said.

"What's up?"

"I have a friend here who I don't want driving in the blizzard that is currently raging outside. I offered to let her stay here, but she doesn't know if you'd be okay with it."

"If you're talking about Felicity, you know I have no problem with her staying the night."

"It's not Felicity, but she's here also. I've told her she can stay too. But is it okay for my other friend to stay as well?"

"Who is it? Do I know them?"

"Technically," I replied, cringing. How was he going to react to the bomb I was about to drop on him?

"So, remember that letter I sent to Mobius One? The one I never heard back from?"

"… Yes. Did you finally get a response?"

"Even better. Mobius One _herself_ came. She's here. In our kitchen. Regaling Felicity and me with her missions. It's amazing!"

My dad said nothing as my words sank in. He'd heard of Mobius One, and previously being in the Erusean Air Force, he'd _fought _her before. The news was, understandably, shocking.

"Dad?" I prodded, hoping I hadn't put him in his early grave with a premature coronary. "Hello?"

"I'm coming home," he eventually said. "I'm booking my flights now. I don't know when I'll be there because everything's canceled because of that damn storm."

"Okay," I said. "Is it okay if she stays here then?"

"Yes. Absolutely. Try and get her to stay as long as possible because I need to meet her."

"You're not going to kill her, are you?"

"Of course not. I need to meet her to see if she can help me regain the blank spots in my memory about the war. Does she know who I am yet?"

"No, I haven't told her. I've kind of been worrying that if she does, she'll leave."

"Smart. Keep it that way. I'll tell her. I'll see you soon, kid. I love you."

"Love you too, dad." We hung up, and I went back downstairs, deep in thought over my dad's words. He'd lost a lot of his memory after being shot down. Dad regained most of it, but there were still some blank and fuzzy spots he'd yet to recover. Quite a bit of those memories were from the war and his childhood. He didn't have any pictures of himself as a kid because his parents died during the war, and he couldn't remember any friends. Well, all but one, but he couldn't find them no matter how hard he tried. Dad assumed, sadly, they'd died in the war. All he had left of them was a photo of them as kids that he'd had in his pocket when he was shot down.

"So, what'd he say?" Felicity asked.

"He said you're both absolutely welcome to stay. Besides, even if he didn't, I'm pretty sure neither of you could get out of my driveway. How much snow is out there?" I peered at the backyard through the patio doors. "That looks like a foot. Easily."

"Yeah, and it looks like the storm is showing no signs of stopping. In fact, it's decided to stay right on top of us according to the weather channel," Felicity said, scrolling through her phone. "We might be here a few days. Good thing I have extra clothes in my car."

"You do?"

"I always come prepared."

"And that includes stuff for a sleepover?"

"Of course."

"Are all girls like that?"

"Maybe not with clothes, but we usually do come prepared for a lot of things," Bryn said. "Where would you like me to sleep?"

"Let me go grab your suitcase, and then I'll show you your room," I offered. Smiling, she agreed, and the three of us went to her car. However, all I could think about was my dad and his reaction, and if Mobius One really held the key to unlocking the rest of his memories.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Reviews would be lovely :)**


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